Saturday, March 29, 2008

An event 22 years in the making...

Okay ladies and gentlemen, parents and siblings, family and friends, lomls and sisters, Shivonne Nicole Glenn is officially off the market. Yes, you read correctly. I, for the first time in my life, have an honest to goodness boyfriend (Mom, don't freak out. I'm not staying across the world or anything...well not for a boy at least). Turns out I only had to move to another country to start dating...weird, I know. Anywho, he is a very nice boy (that's what you're supposed to say..right?); his name is Chris, he's originally from Maylasia but has lived in London since he was eight, he works at Mhor Fish, and somehow he got me to stray from my "I don't date" ways and we're going to see how things go. Probably because he's tall. Y'all know how I am about height-I've analyzed myself in a froydian way and decided it's because all the men in my family are tall, so that must be why. Kinda awkward to blog about this, but I thought y'all should know. Okay. Enough about that. Moving on...

I've had a few rather uneventful days full of work and not too much else, though I did have a nice dinner at an Indian food restaurant the other night (yep. that would be a first date. again, weird.) Also, tonight Ian's-the Mhor Bread chef-girlfriend is coming into town so I'm going to meet her for the first time and then we're going to have ourselves a little sophisticated wine and cheese action with Veronika....well, at least pretend sophisticated. I don't know how successful I'll be. I'm only a redneck from Texas after all....

Other than that, all has been rather quiet here. Of course I work again tomorrow, but I think I might have another day off in my horizon somewhere...how far in the horizon I'm not sure, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm also going to start reading more again...I haven't picked up any of my books in over a week, and I keep forgetting how many good reads I have lined up. I better get on that. Okay. Enough random ramblings. Love you all! Muah!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Perspective

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castaneda

Sometimes in my day to day life I naturally run into moments that aggravate, upset, frustrate, or just plain depress me. I get it. It's only natural. But now I'm trying this new thing when those moments hit...stop, take a step back, and put things into perspective. It's a seriously difficult but very rewarding exercise, and I think it just might be making me a better (or at least more pleasant) person. It's really crazy how much your outlook can change by simply seeing things in a different light. Like just take today for example-



  • Being frustrated: I went to bed too late for my own good last night and when the alarm went off this morning I really felt like throwing it across the room. Positive spin: I have good friends and fun times to keep me occupied until the wee hours of the morning and a steady job to wake up to.

  • A little bit depressed: After the best instant messenger conversation of my life yesterday, I was reminded how much I miss my favorite people in the world-even just the sound of their voices. Then this morning I found a letter waiting for me at work (thanks Heather!) and read numerous wall posts/blog comments from said wonderful people. I am one lucky girl to have so many amazing people in my life who care for me to that extent, and no amount of physical distance will ever change that.
  • Another depressing thought: I will never again have a spring break in my life. I've been seeing all these pictures on facebook about the fun fabulous times everyone has had on their week long hiatus from the real world. But just as I'm getting really depressed, a thought occurs to me- If I had a spring break, that would mean I would still be in school. Still be taking classes. Still have piles of reading that I never seem to get to until the night before the test. Still be pretending to study. Still be stressing over my procrastinating ways. Nope. I think I'm good, sans Spring Break and all.

  • Aggravated: Right after diligently and meticulously cleaning the glass of the cake and pie display at work before closing, three little girls and their mom came in smudging fingerprints all over it to the point where I would have to repeat the job. Sigh. But then one of the little girls caught my eye, smiled, and my heart melted. What's a few fingerprints compared to a wide eyed kid let loose in a cake shop?

  • Mentally exhausted: After a long day of serving numerous people in need of a sugar fix while maintaining a sugary demeanor myself, I find it hard to keep up the smiles and bubbly attitude for those stragglers who come in while I'm trying to close. However I always try to be friendly no matter how tired/annoyed/ready to go home I am. Today in such a situation, I was reminded of how much customers really appreciate this...the last lady in the shop said I was the friendliest person she had been waited on by in a long time. Little compliments like that make it all worth it.

Okay. Enough of my 'look at the world through rose colored glasses' sappy sermon. It was just something I was thinking about today, so I thought I'd share it with y'all. I know I'm by no means perfect, but when I manage to flip my bad attitude around, I always feel like I've gained a small victory...and I think that makes life sweeter, even if just by a bit :)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

El Fin de la Semana...



Ahh the weekend. Don't you miss the time in your life when it meant the break from school and stress and homework? Especially holiday weekends like this one...you get a four day break from reality filled with family, fun, relaxation, and good food. Yeah, that is pretty much the opposite of how my weekend went. Easter here is crazy...it's a really big travel time so Callander was invaded by tour buses and tons of people milling the streets which meant a super full, super busy shop. FYI, Scottish people don't joke around when it comes to bread at Easter time...especially hot cross buns. We had a minor emergency when we sold out of them Saturday before eleven AM...I thought there might be a minor pastry rebellion or something. Well my last four days were pretty much occupied by working, working, sleeping, working, eating, working, working, and, did I mention, working? Actually I'm really concerned I might be narcoleptic- after work, I'll be on my bed working on my computer or reading a book, and the next thing I know I wake up four hours later with no recollection of falling asleep. Guess my body isn't used to the early hours yet and it's definately making me pay for it. Take last night for instance, I'm fairly certain I fell asleep around 6PM (the time isn't precise since I just dozed off) and I actually slept through the night and woke up a little after five which was lucky since I had to be in the shop at six and I hadn't set an alarm. Anywho, enough about my screwy internal clock, hopefully I have more interesting things to say. Hopefully...




So during my ridiculously busy workfest this weekend, I did manage to have a few moments of clarity filled with minor epiphanies. Well ephiphanies might be too strong of a description, but some thoughts did cross my mind-


1. I have absolutely without a doubt the most fabulously awesome sisters ever. During the lunch rush on Saturday, a delivery man walked in with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers accompanied by a stuffed bear. Since I was the only free person, I walked up to sign for it only to be startled when he said they were for me (well, by me he said "chivn" but I figured that was close enough). I had just been thinking how much I was missing being home for Easter, and that gift remind me just how blessed and loved I am...all the girls at work were really impressed and jealous that I have such a kick-ass family....thanks for that.


2. I love all the little terms of endearment Scottish people use; if I had a nickel for everytime someone called me love, darlin, or doll, I'd be-well you know how the saying goes. I've noticed that I've been picking up on the Scottish lingo as well, so don't be surprised if I ask for a "wee" bit of help "love" when I get back.


3. People are fascinated by novelty. I have never had so much attention in my life. As far as Americans go around here, we are pretty rare; add into the equation that I'm Texan and I might as well be an alien, a very cute and well liked alien, but an alien nonetheless ;) I'm telling you, if you ever feel a little down on yourself or unliked, just move to a different country. I have never been asked for my number more in my life (don't worry, I don't even having a working phone so I'm safe).


5. Sunshine and snow are amazing. No, I don't mean just individually- I mean honest to goodness thick flakes of snow falling through rays of sunlight. Seriously, breathtaking. Also, I know I skipped #4-I'm just making sure you're paying attention-trying to keep you on your toes, you know.




So tomorrow I have a day off to recover from the craziness that was my weekend. I think I'll try to be productive, run some errands, clean my room, do my laundry, and, most importantly, catch up on some z's. I hope each and everyone of you had a blessed Easter weekend- know y'all are constantly in my mind and in my prayers....Love always, Shivonne.




Monday, March 17, 2008

"A very merry unbirthday to you, to you..."

Anybody else an Alice in Wonderland fan? When I was little I loved that movie, especially the mad hatter part-what a great idea to celebrate not only your day of birth but also an unbirthday as well! Genius! Anyways, for the past five years or so, I've been celebrating my unbirthday on the date exactly 6 months from my actual birthday. March 17th. Which just happens to be today. Which is also St. Patrick's day so double bonus. Now, I'm not so presumptious to actually ask for presents on this my unbirthday day (I mean, feel more than welcome to send some if you are so inclined, but it isn't technically a requirement ;) but I do like to do something extra special/fun and maybe have a celebratory drink or two; after all I am Irish Catholic, and it would be wrong not too-right?



Well my unbirthday got off to a rather shaky start: Today is actually my day off (yes, I did ask Veronika if this could be my off day for the week just because it was my unbirthday-sad, but true) so last night I didn't worry about going to sleep early, and I also washed my work clothes. So when there was a knock at my door a little after 6am, I thought I was dreaming. Well not so much dreaming as having a nightmare. Unfortunately not. Dick (that's my boss in case you're wondering) popped his head in to ask if I would open the shop because Kevin didn't show up for work. Yep, that's right. I had to work on my day off, on my unbirthday, on St. Patrick's day, after two hours of sleep, and in street clothes because my work gear was still sopping wet. Hmmm...not a very merry unbirthday to me. Oh well...I shouldn't complain. I only had to work for two hours, and I decided to be productive, resist temptation to crawl back into bed, and fully enjoy my day off. So far a good decision, but ask me again at about three this afternoon...



So my plans for today are nice and laid-back; I think I'll go do some browsing in a couple of the cute shops on main street (including a really neat antique shop that I've been wanting to check out), take in brunch in the tea room, perhaps squeeze in a nap, and then I think I'm going to the cinema in Stirling to catch a flick. Round the day off with a pint (perhaps Guinness for Patty's day if I'm feeling brave) and I'll be set! So to everyone else out there I hope you enjoy your St. Patrick's day festivities, and make sure to mark your own unbirthday on the calendar and I'll be more than happy to celebrate with you when the time comes!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Long Day...

Hey y'all! Just a quick update this time on my day...so here we go!

This morning I had to get up bright and early for my 6 o'clock morning shift in the bakery shop. Today was a big fishing day, so we were SUPER busy-we couldn't even get all of the products out until nearly 10-and we started at six. Also, we ran out of nearly everything and that really doesn't happen that much. Needless to say, I ran around for 11 hours serving fisher(wo/)men, kids out of school, locals, tourists, and everyone in between. My feet are killing me by the way. But it wasn't all stressful-my crazy work was intermittently interrupted by a couple of really nice, make a girl smile, feel good moments:

1. Two different ladies I helped said I had an infectious/wonderful personality. Seriously quite a morale booster when you've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off all day (hmmm..that may be the first time I've used that simile. Interesting.)

2. Veronika laughed everytime I said "sorry" in this weird voice. When I asked why she thought it was so funny, she just said- "you always make me laugh." It's nice to have nice people say nice things about you.

3. Veronika again. She randomly broke into my diligent cleaning of the warming oven (like how I slid that self-kudos on my work ethic in there?) with this:
Veronika: "I wish you would just fall in love with someone in Callander so you'd have to stay."
Me: (laughing) "Yeah, but I'd have to marry someone to be able to stay, and that's sure as
hell not going to happen in 5 months."
Veronika: (seriously) "Hey you never know-just think about it, ok?"
4. Veronika. Yes. Again. She left a travel journal with a really sweet note for me inscripted in it under my door. I found it last night and it made me smile-I've already filled like 5 pages of that thing. Love it.

So I just realized how many of my happy moments are contributed to Veronika- she really is very sweet and fun to be around. Plus, she's like my little mom. She gave me this multi-vitamin jam stuff to take, helped me order some Wellies (that's rain boots to you yanks), and took me shopping yesterday. I should definately do something nice for her...hmmm. I'll have to think about that....any ideas?

Ok, well I guess that is about all for now. I'm about to grab a bite and then later we're going out for a farewell party for Noami (my current roomie) who's last day is Tuesday. But no worries-I get to sleep in until 8 tomorrow!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Learning to Trust...

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8



I am continually amazed everyday how God manages to guide me in the right direction no matter how often I feel lost. If you've been reading my blogs, you know I wasn't exactly keen on switching jobs and moving out of the hotel and into Mhor Bread. I fought against it until I had no choice but to move or find another job. But once again, God knows what he is doing even if I don't always listen properly. As of next week, Elidhe, Toby, Kiley, and Colleen will all be leaving Monachyle Mhor because they are fed up with the management. If I had not moved from the hotel I would probably be doing one of two things: 1. Move away to another job as well (probably not too resoponsible) or 2. Stay at the hotel and be virtually isolated from any city or friends. However, since God rightly pushed me into my new life here in Callander I've felt as if I'm starting to find my way. I'm enjoying the work at the bakery-it's easy, relatively fun, and I meet a lot of interesting people. A lot of the locals come in everyday so I'm getting to know the town a bit. They always ask me, 'so how's Texas today?' or 'I need 8 morning rolls, Texas sized please.' It's quite fun to be a novelty here anyways. Also, I'm becoming to feel more at home and comfortable both in the bread shop and in the house. I'm learning (painfully slowly) how to play pool, and I'm starting to bridge a bit of the language barrier with the Hungarians (with a lot of Veronika's help) so that's nice. All in all, things are looking sunny here in Callander (well, not literally-it rains/snows/drizzles ALL the time-but I guess you can't have it all).



Today was another early morning-I went in to work at half past six and opened the shop. They are putting in a new kitchen so the tea room was closed today and we had noisy workers and drills and hammering going on all day. Then they were messing with the fuse box, shut off the power in the front shop, and couldn't get it back on for a good 20 minutes all in the middle of the lunch rush. Since only the shop was open, only Veronika and I worked but it wasn't too bad. We were relatively slow since the weather was so poor, and I really enjoy working with her so we had a bit of fun. We moved the stereo from the tea room to the shop and borrowed a Frank Sinatra CD from Chris so we had music today; it reminded me of home and you daddy-I'm so glad you put me onto old blue eyes. The best part is, they still won't be done with the renovation tomorrow, so after we open, Veronika and I get the day off! We're going to have breakfast at the deli down the street, and then we're going to take on the shops on main street. It will be a nice break from just working anyways.



Well tonight I just have laid back plans-I'm going to dinner with Veronika, Marcus, and Chubby at Mhor Fish- it will be the first time I've eaten there so I'm excited. Veronika swears by the crab meat so we'll see. Then I might watch a movie with Chris after work instead of going to the Pub-I figure three nights in a row may be a little much so this will be a nice change of pace. So I think that's all for now, but I just want to say again how much I appreciate all the great support y'all give me-all your prayers and comments really help! It makes me feel like home isn't so far away. I'm so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life....so thank you!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Small Town Living...


Today I had another glorious day off. Okay, I know what you're thinking-'you just had a day off Friday!' and true you are. However (as I so graciously explained to my jealous colleagues) Friday was my first day off in the 12 days I had been with Monachyle Mhor/Mhor Bread, so that was really just a catchup one. Anyways, I digress.


I had planned to just have a lazy morning and sleep in until at least 10. That didn't happen. I'm pretty sure my body has reset my internal clock to wake up no later than 8 every morning. I guess having an early morning job will do that to you. Gone are the days of sleeping in until lunch and just wearing pajamas like ragamuffins to eat at Jason's Deli. Sigh.


So bright and early, a little after eight, I was ready to take on the big city of Callander. Actually that is quite an oxymoron. I've never lived in such a small town in my life. I mean, when you tell people you're from Amarillo, Texas they think it's small. No. Here, everybody knows everybody. It's one of those kinds of places. Even if you don't know what you're doing, someone else does. Take for example this morning- I walked into the local chemist (aka pharmacy) to pick up a few things; I accidentally bumped into a woman in the narrow aisles and automatically apologized. The woman grinned and said, "oh- you're that girl from Texas!" I kid you not. I have never seen this lady in my life, I was at the chemist across town (not that that's far here-I walked there in like five minutes), I've been here one week and the local people already know who I am. Crazy. You always hear about the small town atmosphere, but it's odd to actually live it. I'm actually kind of excited about meeting everyone and learning names so I can get a piece of the local town gossip (I'm only kidding-sort of). Anyways, it could be nice; sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name...(yes, I just referenced Cheers).


So this morning I just explored my new home, took tons of gorgeous pictures (check out the link to the right to see all of my albums from my travels so far- the pic on the left is pretty much what my backyard looks like. You're jealous-right?), went on a two hour walk, and spent too much of my first paycheck which I received yesterday. I don't know what it is about money in your pocket, but it just screams to be spent. I know I'm horrible, but I've had literally two pounds to my name since I took this job and I might have gone a bit overboard. Next time I'll do better (let's hope).


Well I guess there's just a couple of last minute things I want to mention at the moment- I got bullied into having dinner with creepy African guy again last night. He asked me to go eat with him, kept pushing and pushing, wanted to go somewhere in Sterling (which is a 45 min bus ride away- we're talking spending three hours with this chap- ugggh) but I managed to only get roped into dinner at an Italian place down the road. It wasn't too bad (the food that is) but all he did was keep talking on and on about himself. I barely said anything. Also, he never listens- not only to the incessant streams of no thank yous when he asks me out but also to anything I say in general. I don't know why he even wants me there- he could talk to himself just as well. Another annoying feature- he orders for me. I absolutely hate this- I'm a big girl and fully capable of informing the waiter what I want to eat. And, he tries to order me things I don't even mention or want. Seriously annoying.


However, there is light at the end of this seemingly never ending tunnel of dodgy sudo dates with a guy who's company I don't even slightly enjoy- after returning from dinner last night, I said good night and started to go into my room when some guy I had never seen bounced down the stairs (new people just keep turning up here-you never know who you might randomly meet). I said hello, and we got to talking. He had just moved in that day into Tony's room (the chef who also moved into town from the hotel with me), he's originally from Malaysia, but had lived in London since he was eight so he has this really funny cockney accent. After a couple of minutes, Tony joined us on the stairwell and we talked for quite a bit. Eventually, Veronika came in and asked me about what was going on with Albert (I had told her about him bothering me the day before) so we all had a nice 'this is how you tell him to back off' conversation. The guys' opinion was that a boyfriend in another country was not a strong enough deterrant- I was going to have to be frank. Veronika suggested I just say, 'look. I don't enjoy your company. F-off.' Now that's a bit strong for me (y'all know how I hate confrontation) but they did encourage me enough so the next time he asks me out I'll just say I don't think it's a good idea. Hopefully this will work as long as I avoid being a push over and stick to my guns. But Veronika was really good about putting it into perspective- I'm a young female traveling by myself and I have to stick up for myself. I'm just going to repeat this over and over in my head until I summon the courage to tell this guy to back the hell off. Whew.


Well I guess that's my ridiculously long update for now...I think I'm going to have a pint at the pub tonight with the guys to round out my lovely day off, and then it's back to work in the morning!




Sunday, March 9, 2008

My Scottish History....



So in case you didn't know, I actually have a wee bit of Scottish blood in my family-mainly on my daddy's side. Everytime I try to tell people here I'm part Scottish they just laugh and think it's a joke- I guess the old Texan accent is a bit much to swallow when claiming Scottish Heritage. Oh well. Anyways, here's the facts:




-Glen, or Glennie, is a Scottish Surname and classified as a sept (a division of a family or clan)under Clan Mackintosh which originated in Inverness, Scotland


-Gaelic Name: Mac-an-Toiseach; Origin: Gaelic 'Toiseach' - leader, chief or captain


-Our history dates back to the 12th Century


-Mottos: Touch not the Cat bot a Glove ("Touch not the cat without a glove"-hmmm.) & Loch Moigh is our Rallying Cry


-The name Glen(n) is Scottish/Gaelic meaning valley


-The name Shivonne (Siobhan) is a Irish/Gaelic variant of Joan/John meaning God is gracious (I'm named after St. Joan of Arc)




Well that's all I've found out so far, but it's pretty interesting....I'm definately going to splurge on a cashmere scarf with the Mackintosh tartan design before I go (I think I'll get the hunting version of our tartan though instead of the traditional. I mean, it's green. Nuff said.)

Saturday, March 8, 2008

What a long, weird day it's been...

I guess I was bound to have an "interesting" day after having yesterday off- it all started this morning at 5am when I woke up for work (man, that makes me sound so grown up!) I drug myself out of bed, showered, dressed in my festive all black uniform, and trudged downstairs to open the bakery promptly at six. I got along alright the first hour- it was only the second time I had opened so it is a lot to remember-turn on the lights, stove, coffee machine, bread warmer, dishwasher, and music; check the order form and bring out all the bread loaves, scones, cookies, cakes, and pies to the front; organize the cakes in the front window and display fridge, line up the bread, and make orders for the early customers who pop in. I figure, I'm doing alright- it's seven o'clock and I haven't screwed anything up yet. Spoke too soon. Veronika (my manager) showed up at seven and asked what I was doing. A little disconcerted, I answered opening the shop-why? Was I doing something wrong? She just said 'crazy girl...you should be in bed! You don't come in until eleven!' I guess she had changed my schedule so I could sleep in a bit after my day off and I hadn't realized it. Oh well. I guess showing up when you're not supposed to is better than not showing up when you should. Off to bed for a couple more blissful hours of sleep.

Once I arrived officially at the correct time to work, it was a chaotic mess. Melanie had shown up to 'oversee' how things were going and she brought three new employees with her. It was a Saturday so we were super busy and all the poor new employees just got in our way because they had no idea what was going on and we didn't have the time to show them. On top of that, Melanie is running around making changes and trying to 'improve' how things are done at the bakery. On a Saturday. At lunchtime. Veronika about had a fit. Well we managed to survive the tirade that is Melanie and closed the shop without too much trouble on time. I made my way upstairs and decided to take a wee nap (see, the Scottish are getting to me already!). I have been so exhausted lately for some reason- I hope I'm not getting sick. Whitney probably managed to give me mono from across the world for all I know... :) About an hour into my snoozefest, I awoke to the sound of knocking at my door. I groggily yelled 'come in' and then some guy who I don't recognize opens the door. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, still confused in my semi-comatic state. The guy (who looks vaguely familiar and knows my name) asks me to join him and Veronika at the pub. I politely decline, using my declining health as an excuse and prepare to roll over and go back to sleep. Alas, this guy didn't give up that easily. Since I didn't want to have a drink at the pub, would I like to have dinner at the Chinese restaurant down the street? I kept saying thank you but no...I'm very sleepy and don't have much of an appetite at the moment. Well he kept pressing and pressing until I finally gave in, and the next thing I know I'm sitting across from him at the restaurant before it dawns on me that he probably sees this as a date. Crap.

Well this guy (who turns out to be Albert from Africa) just moved in and will begin working at the bakery on Monday. I decide I would be nice and try to make him feel welcome and it can't hurt just to have dinner-right? Wrong. I guess he had seen me working on Thursday (which I don't recall) and he had come into the shop again today which is why he looked vaguely familiar. We had just sat down when he started talking about how his grandmother had told him what an angel looks like when he was young and I was that angel and he couldn't believe how perfect I looked and how he was so nervous to come to my room to ask me to dinner and on and on. This is before we got our waters; my hopes for a friendly casual dinner were dashed straight away. In the course of the (painfully long) hour meal, he mentioned introducing me to his parents, knowing what a wonderful person I must be from the first time he laid eyes on me, planning picnics and cinema trips, and reiterating how lucky any guy would be to have me. I went from catching up on some z's to some random guy I just met planning our lives together in about 15 minutes. I only wish I was kidding.

So after we ordered, I figured I needed to address the painfully obvious subject of Albert being inexplicably instantly in love with me conflicting with my own feelings of confusion and basically freaking out. I tried to gently and nicely point out that I was only looking for friendship here, but he was not deterred. Next, I did something I'm not too proud of. Yes, I played the made-up I have a boyfriend waiting for me at home card. Shameful, I know, but what's a girl to do? I have to work and live with this guy for the next five months! Anyways, I do feel quite bad about lying, but he finally got the picture and at least said he was content with being just friends. However, I didn't manage to get out of having a KFC and wine indoor picnic tomorrow after work, so we'll see how that goes. I absolutely abhor sticky situations.

Well now I'm back in the (I hope) safety of my room. Tomorrow I work at eight so I'll have all day to dread another uncomfortable sudo-date situation with Albert....wish me luck!

Oh, one more thing- Happy Birthday Noah!!!! I love you!

Friday, March 7, 2008

The Story Continues...




Ok kids I'm back to finish up my super long update story, so here we go:

Where was I? Oh yeah. So Melanie informed me on a Thursday night that she would be taking me with all my luggage the next morning into Callander to live and work at Mhor Bread (by the way, this was smack dab in the middle of a stressful hotel shift so I wasn't in the most agreeable spirits to start with). Now when it comes to jobs and bosses I'm not the type to argue or say no- I'm just pretty much a push over; as soon as she left me with the news, I took a quick trip to the loo to splash my face and get over the shock, but I guess I wasn't too successful at hiding my feelings because as soon as Sven saw me he knew something was wrong. I told him what had happened, said I was just going to make the best of it, and continued working. Well I guess he informed Colleen of Melanie's plans as soon as she got back to the hotel (which Melanie had been careful not to inform Colleen on before- I guess she was trying to sneak me away before any of the staff found out)and the next thing I know Colleen is pulling me into the kitchen asking if I was moving out. I confirmed this and all Colleen said was 'hell no you aren't' and she stormed out. Well I guess following this little conversation, Melanie and Colleen had a big row over moving me from the hotel as soon as I settled in and posting me at a job that I was hired for. In the end, Melanie agreed to let me stay living at the hotel for the moment and just go down to work at the bakery. That was the end of round one.

Round two: Friday I went down to Mhor Bread, met the manager (Veronica), and learned my way around. Veronica was super nice and taught me all about the shop. The work is easy and laid back which is what I'm used to so it came pretty naturally. At the end of the day when Melanie drove me back to the hotel she went on in her manipulating way on how I answered her prayers and was just perfect and vivacious and wonderful to work there and blah blah blah. I hate being manipulated. So I tried to stand up to her a bit (with the help of Colleen encouraging me to tell Melanie what I really felt), and I let her know that I preferred working at the hotel, I loved the staff, farm, and animals, thought I was getting quite better at my job there, and enjoyed working in a fine dining atmosphere so I could learn more. She pretty much ignored all this and was silent for the rest of the ride. The same charade repeated on Saturday, and by Sunday (when I was filling in for a girl in housekeeping at the hotel) Melanie pulled me aside to tell me to grab my stuff and go to Callander. I managed to convince her to let me stay one more night at the Hotel (because Toby's 30th birthday party was that night which I had been planning with Eilidh) and resigned myself to go to Callander in the morning. After all this trouble, drama, and uncertainty, I figured God was pushing me towards this change for a reason and I should just trust in him. We had a wonderful time at Toby Birthday/my going away party, and I was just thankful to have spent a few days with some awesome people.

So now it has been four days since I've moved and things are starting to settle in. The work at the bakery is easy and pleasant and the locals get a real kick out of my accent (when they can understand what I'm saying anyways). Veronica loves me so it's easy to work with her, Tony has moved into town to cook at Mhor Fish instead of the hotel, and Lewis is cooking at Mhor Bread for a fortnight while they look for a new chef there so I'm not too alone. Other than that, everyone who lives in the house is Hungarian and speaks very little English, but I'm told a Kiwi girl is on her way so that should be nice. Today is my first day off since I've been here (yay!) and I've made my way down to Edinburgh to pick up mail (thanks Ivy/Mom&Dad!) and just enjoy a little free time. Anyways, now I have a new address (again) so here it is:

c/o Shivonne Glenn
Mhor Bread
8 Main StreetCallander
Perthshire FK17 8BB
United Kingdom

Thank you all for your sweet comments-it's so great to hear encouraging words when I'm going through a bit of a rough spot. Love y'all!
p.s. I FINALLY got my laptop's wifi to work so I've been posting pictures to my web albums like crazy and I'm going to figure out how skype works next...hooray!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Yes. I'm still alive...

Okay, so I know it's been AGES since I've posted/emailed/phoned anyone and I'm terribly sorry about that. Turns out I'm in the boonies of Scotland (the Highlands) and, even though it's absolutely gorgeous with mountains and lochs and all that jazz, I have been literally isolated on a farm with no internet or phone service. So prepare to read the longest post ever over what I've been up to since I've left Edinburgh...it's been a crazy ride.

First off, I set off from Edinburgh and successfully made it to the train station with my luggage. Now, it was only across the street from my hostel, but I still consider it an achievement since I was lugging 150lbs of luggage up and down stairs-no small feet (sp?) let me tell ya. I confidently walked up, purchased my ticket, checked the departure times and platforms, found my train and boarded fifteen minutes before scheduled departure. I settled in, put all my luggage away, and sighed in relief that I got everything together ahead of schedule. After two peaceful moments, I glanced up at the digital sign in the train and realized, as the train began to move, that I managed to get on the wrong train. The correct train wouldn't reach the platform for another two minutes. Which I wouldn't be there for because the doors had locked and I was traveling in the opposite direction. Great. To make a long story short, I eventually got on the correct train and made it to Stirling to be collected on time. Thank goodness I actually had gotten ready early for once. Whew.

Upon arrival at the train station, my new employer-Melanie-and her nannie who just happens to be from Chicago-Colleen-picked me up in a tiny blue European car to drive the 40 minutes or so to the Monachyle Mhor Hotel. Picture me squished between two toddlers in the back of a miniature car trying to make a good impression on my new employer who is zooming up and down winding, wet streets in the rain like a crazy person. During the drive I found out that I would be working that evening as a server in the front of the hotel restaurant. So as far as waitressing goes, you know I'm pretty confident having like six years experience and all. However, let's just say this 4 star hotel fine dining gourmet restaurant is slightly different than serving burgers and milkshakes at Malcolms. I am virtually clueless about five course meals which we serve. I have to set up the table with a ridiculous amount of cutlery (3 knives, 3 forks, 3 glasses, a dress plate that you clear as soon as you get the bread, and that's only the beginning), serve the lady first, wait to clear plates until everyone has finished, never use a tray when clearing, serve the canape (pre-dinner fancy appetizer thingy with drinks), seat the couple, bread the table, serve the amuse bouche (an appetizer as far as I can tell), serve the starters, soup, the mains, then clear the entire table, crumb the table, give dessert menus, give dessert cutlery (yep, even more silverware), take the dessert and coffee/tea order, and push drinks all night. Talk about complicated. Every little tiny detail matters. I guess that's what you get when you pay $102 for dinner (not including drinks).

Anyways, the first night went okay; there's a South African Jewish guy named Sven (none of that seems to go together-right?) who runs the front of the house and he is the most detail oriented and anal person, but a really nice guy. I was pretty much the baby at the hotel so everyone either called me Miss Texas or little girl. I guess that's easier than trying to remember my name. I managed to survive my first shift with only one casualty-a broken red wine glass that comes out of our tips. oops. So I finished up, polished silverware and glasses (which is how I broke the glass), and set up the tables for breakfast. At this point, I'm quite exhausted from traveling and working all day so I trudge my way back up to the staff house dreading unpacking my stuff. I open the door and the first thing a hear is a cheering greeting from my new coworkers (who had all had the day off) and suddenly I have a cider in my hand and I'm meeting the 10 people I now live with. Everyone is absolutely lovely. My roommate, Elidhe (pronouned Ailey), is pretty much one of the nicest people I've ever met. She calls everyone 'babes' and 'darlin' and she's incredibly sweet. Then there is the Australian couple- Kiley and Toby. Kiley is only 23 but she's so chill and mature and it's calming to be around her. Toby is pretty much the exact opposite- he just turned thirty (we had a birthday party for him the other night) and he quotes spongebob, hides in cuboards, and is one of the funniest people ever. Colleen, the other American, is also hilarious. She's loud and fun and always sticks up to Melanie for me. Tony and Lewis are cooks from Zimbabwe and Scotland and are both super nice. I pretty much just liked everyone in the house, and it immediately felt like family.

So at this point in my super long story, I just want to say that unfortunately Melanie, my boss, is crazy. She has these crazy ideas that she just thinks are fabulous, runs around telling everyone how to change things, and then doesn't ever follow up properly on them. She has three kids but is not maternal at all- the kids actually call Colleen mom. How messed up is that? Then there is the whole being two faced bit. One minute she's your best friend and loves you, the next she's ignoring you, or worse, yelling at you. Seriously, psycho. So anyways, my first night working she chastised me when I greeted the guests for being too loud. Apparently in fancy dining, you have to be gentle and soothing and not how she so loving put it, gregarious. It's kinda hard for a loud, unsophisticated Texan to catch on to all this, but I thought I was learning. Apparently, she didn't think I was right for the hotel though (even though she didn't see me work after my first night) and she decided to move me to the bakery in town. At first I just thought I was spending the weekend there, but soon I found out she planned to make it a permanent thing. This meant moving out of the house and job I had just settled into and taking a job that she had not advertised for. Yeah...

Okay, well the library is about to close and I'm not even close to finishing my catch-up story so I'm going to go. I know this is probably really long and boring but I just need to vent, you know? So I will post the rest of my newest adventures soon. Until then, just know I love you all and miss you something awful!
"The World is a book, and those who do not travel
read only a page." -St. Augustine